This invention relates generally to devices used to maintain a boat in spaced relation from a dock, such devices being known in the art as boat whips, and more particularly to a boat whip assembly that is longitudinally adjustable along the length of the dock to accommodate boats having varying lengths.
Boat whips are well known in the art. FIG. 1 illustrates the use of a conventional boat whip 10. As shown, a boat 12 is tied to a dock 14 by means of a pair of ropes, each indicated at 16. Each rope 16 is attached at one end thereof to a cleat 18, which is mounted on the boat 12, and at its other end to a vertically oriented post 20, which is secured in a suitable manner to the dock 14. It is understood that the boat 12 can be secured to the dock 14 in any number of ways, and that the manner illustrated in FIG. 1 is for illustration purposes only. For example, the boat can be secured to a cleat (not shown) mounted on the top surface of the dock or on the post.
Without boat whips 10, the boat 12 has a tendency to bang into the dock 14 and/or the posts 20 when waves move the boat 12 into and away from the dock 14. During especially rough conditions where the waves greatly effect the movement of the boat 12, such conditions can cause extreme damage to the boat 12 since nothing prevents the boat from engaging the dock. Prior to the introduction of boat whips, bumpers (not shown) were employed to protect the boat from banging into the dock.
Presently available boat whips 10 stand the boat 12 away from the dock 14, thereby preventing damage to the boat. More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the boat whip 10 comprises a base 22, which is secured to the dock 14 by any suitable means, including wood screws 24. The base includes an annular receptacle 26 for receiving a flexible (and typically cylindrical) rod 28, which has one end seated therein and an opposite end having a thin line or tether (not shown) attached thereto. This thin line is secured at its other end to the cleat 18 provided on the boat 12. The arrangement is such that the flexible rod 28, since it extends over the body of the boat 12, maintains the boat 12 in a spaced relation away from the dock 14, thereby allowing the boat to move slightly toward and away from the dock, but never in contact with the dock.
The boat whip 10 described above, while effective in achieving its intended purpose, i.e., maintaining the boat 12 away from the dock 14, does suffer from significant limitations. For example, when employing the boat whip 10, it must be secured on the dock 14 typically by means by the permanent fastener 24 in a position generally adjacent to the boat""s cleats 18. It is very important that the spacing of the boat whips 10 be nearly identical to the spacing of the cleats 18 so that the boat whips 10 maximize their effect on the boat 12 by extending perpendicularly away from the dock 14 over the body of the boat.
One disadvantage of this arrangement is that boat whips 10 can only accommodate boats having identical or nearly identical spacing between cleats 18. Once permanently affixed to the dock 14, the boat whips 10 cannot be easily removed and reattached to accommodate boats having more or less spacing between the cleats 18. Thus, another boat tied to a dock having a cleat spacing different than the cleat spacing of the boat for which the boat whips were employed could not take advantage of the boat whips since they would not keep the boat away from the dock. There is presently a need in the art for an adjustable boat whip assembly that can accommodate boats having varying sizes, especially having varying distances between their cleats.
Accordingly, among the several objects of the present invention is the provision of an adjustable boat whip that can be easily adjusted to accommodate boats having varying spacing between cleats.
In general, an adjustable whip of the present invention for maintaining a boat in spaced relation to a dock comprises a boat whip, an elongate base member having means for mounting the base member on the dock, a whip support member having means for receiving the boat whip in a generally upright position, and interconnecting means for attaching the support member to the base member so that the support member can move along the length of the base member. Locking means is further provided for locking the support member to the base member.
In one embodiment of the invention, the base member of the boat whip assembly comprises a structural tubular body having an upwardly extending top flange that is received in a slot provided in the support member. The arrangement is such that the support member is movable along the length of the base member.